September 18, 2013 – The first snow of the season fell on the Tetons last night. It glimmers atop Taylor Mountain like the icing on a freshly baked cake. Winter is coming–the season of ski swaps, wood chopping, and ski movie premiers.

Jake Sakson and I will be adding to the ski season hype this fall by releasing a webisode trilogy documenting our season exploring the Tetons. Last year we decided to team up, buy a camera, create a website, and document our take on backcountry freeriding. Full disclosure–neither of us have much experience behind the lens. We were both introduced to backcountry ski filming through skiing with Powderwhore and Sweetgrass Productions, but we were always in front of the camera. It seemed simple enough; find some good snow, good lighting, ski through it and catch it on camera. Hit repeat and BAM! You have a ski movie. Continue reading...

This coming weekend be ready for the full Nelson, BC Kootenay Cold Smoke Powder Fest at Whitewater Resort. The 5th annual four-day fest draws all the kooks in the Kootenays as well as skiers from across Canada and the US for a grassroots backcountry festival rife with beginner to advanced clinics, contests, films and revelry—all bound together by the pursuit of wild snow. “It’s an event that brings together like-minded people who love the many aspects of backcountry, and gets them all under one roof,” says local Robin Hartikainen, “a concentration of people who love skiing, and have the desire to earn their turns.” Continue reading...

SCARPA tele ripper, Chris Erikson, sends in proof that he is, indeed, working hard with this mini-trip report from his shoot for PowderWhore’sTelevision.

Adam U returns from an exploration of Japan with this trip report: “Every local we talked to told us that conditions like we had were ‘normal.’ We hope to put their word to the test by returning next year for a month. Until then, enjoy!”

The Kootenay Coldsmoke Powder Fest–Nelson, B.C.’s annual celebration of backcountry ski culture–takes place February 25-28 at the Whitewater Ski Resort outside of Nelson. The three day festival is packed with every excuse to get on snow, including skill clinics, competitions, and ski celebrations. And it’s all done in true Nelson style, which is to say that fun in and on the mountains is at the heart of everything.